Two men arrested in 2018 murder of jiu-jitsu instructor, Ramon Diaz
On Tuesday, police arrested Kipko Griffin, 48, following a search warrant at his residence in Cathedral City, California. He is one of two suspects in the 2018 murder of popular jiu-jitsu instructor Ramon Diaz who was shot and killed in driveway.
Diaz was the owner of Palm Springs Jiu-Jitsu. He was found “suffering from trauma to the body” more than five years ago. Police were dispatched to the scene around 9:45 p.m., on March 28, 2018, and Diaz was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
A $10,000 reward was offered in the case but there were no leads until now.
Griffin was booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $1 million bail earlier this week.
An additional suspect, Troy Walter Edmund, 44, was already in custody on unrelated charges. Police said he will be charged with murder. He remains in custody on $1 million bail.
UFC star Cub Swanson thanked law enforcement officials for continuing their search in the case.
“I want to thank the local police for not giving up on this case. So many people have been needing closure on Professor Diaz’s murder,” Swanson wrote on Instagram Wednesday.
If you have information related to this incident or believe you may have information, contact the Cathedral City Police Department at (760) 770-0300 / Commander Rick Sanchez at (760) 202-2488. You can also use the Cathedral City Police Department website at: cathedralcitypolice.com; or email tips@cathedralcity.gov.
You may also report information anonymously through Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers, by calling (760) 341-STOP; or through the WeTip hotline at: 1-(800)-78-CRIME or WWW.WETIP.com.
